


Can't Stay Mad

by RainySunday



Category: Reign (TV)
Genre: Cute, F/M, Fluff, Oneshot, you know - the dog everyone forgot about
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-30
Updated: 2015-01-30
Packaged: 2018-03-09 16:31:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3256727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainySunday/pseuds/RainySunday
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After managing to upset his wife, Francis has a plan to soothe her hurt feelings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Can't Stay Mad

He’d done it again – in dealing with some pressing issues with his council members yesterday afternoon, Francis had unintentionally dismissed the opinions of his wife. He was still trying to deal with the mess his father had left behind in his wake – the specific issue here being the financial state of the court. Lavish parties, gifts for his many mistresses (most recently being Penelope), food shortages in town, and the cost of Francis’ own wedding had all severely depleted the royal funds- not to mention the expenses of the skirmish at Callay. In all honesty, the court was in dire straights.

 

Mary’s opinions had been good, if slightly short sighted. Francis knew that he had been curt with her. He wanted to blame lack of sleep or the weather or even misplaced annoyance for his father, but the truth was he had been unreasonable – and now he was in the doghouse. 

 

How to make things right?

 

In the doghouse…… that gave him an idea. An impish grin spread across the king’s face. It was still early, and he hoped Mary had not risen from bed quite yet.

 

 

*********************************************

 

 

Mary stirred to the sound of her door being opened. She was pretty sure it was Francis, and wasn’t quite ready to deal with a heavy conversation this early in the morning. Yawning and stretching, Mary was about to roll back over and pull up the covers when she noticed Sterling padding quietly across the floor towards her bed. She looked at him quizzically – he normally spent the night sleeping in the kitchens, as the cooks were rather fond of giving him scraps of food left over from the breakfast preparations.

 

As the dog approached (and after Mary had wiped her eyes clean of sleep), she noticed that Sterling had something with him- clasped gently, almost reverently, in his mouth was a single yellow rose.

 

“What on earth…..” Awake now, Mary sat up. Seeing her, Sterling picked up his pace, prancing over to the edge of the bed. She reached out to him, petting his head and smiling, Sterling wagging his tail in reply. He then proceeded to deposit a somewhat slobber covered rose onto the comforter.

 

Mary laughed, and gave her dog an affectionate kiss on the head. When she looked up, she saw Francis peeking into the room, still half hiding behind the doorframe. Seeing him standing there, tentative as a small child awaiting judgment over some infraction they had committed, Mary softened.

 

“Come in, Francis.” She beckoned him with warmth in her voice, enough to apparently convince him that the coast was clear, and he entered.

 

Before she could ask any specific questions, Francis spoke up.

 

“I am deeply sorry about how I dealt with things yesterday – it was rude and disrespectful. I value your council greatly, and I apologize for not handling things with more tact.” He stopped and bowed his head sheepishly, then peeked at her through a stray curl that had come forward into his face. “Seems I still have much to learn – both as a king and as a husband.”

 

Mary smiled tenderly at him. “I accept your apology.”

 

Francis practically sighed with relief, but remained standing about ten feet away from the bed. Mary cocked an eyebrow at him, and raised a hand to pat a space beside her on the mattress, indicating for him to join her.

 

Sterling, however, took this as permission to join Mary himself, and in a sudden flurry of grey hair and thin limbs, the queen found herself with a lap full of very large, wiggly dog. Husband and wife both burst out laughing.

 

“Seems I’ve been replaced – I’m heartbroken!” Francis walked over and sank down onto the mattress beside dog and master, keeping to the edge so as not to get stepped on. After a few minutes of giggling, arguing with Sterling, and rearranging bodies, the three were happily snuggled into the covers; Mary and Francis faced one another, and Sterling quite happily made himself useful as a foot warmer on the end of the rather large bed. The couple gazed at each other quietly for a moment, open eyed and smiling, walls down between them once again.

 

Mary reached up to brush the rogue curl out of her husband’s face. “Where did you get the rose? I thought it was too early for blooms in the garden.”

 

Francis dimpled. “The greenhouses. The gardener recommended this bloom- apparently yellow roses indicate apology and remorse.” He paused for a moment before leaning closer, eyes twinkling. “Was my token received favorably?”

 

Mary smiled in return. Sliding her hand from his forehead to his cheek, she drew him in and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. As she leaned back, she lightly caressed his face with her thumb.

 

“Yes. You are forgiven.”

 

Francis grinned widely, before closing the space to kiss his wife again, this time more passionate. After leaving them both breathless, Francis placed four gentle kisses up Mary's jawline. When he reached her ear, he leaned in and whispered to her.

 

“I am glad.”


End file.
